Well, gee, I thought I had subjunctivized my statement well enough by saying "I guess one could blame Obama for giving new life to right-wing extremism." But I suppose there's always going to be at least one blood-thirsty idiot around here who's going to jump on anything I have to say. I got attacked one time here for saying that I called Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman (What? Me Worry?) my patron saint, because the attacker apparently thought that having patron saints was an evil religious practice. I live in a very conservative county in California. I know I'm taking a risk by doing it, but I keep an Obama-Biden bumper sticker on my car to spite my neighbors and fellow parishioners who blame Obama for well-nigh everything they don't like. There are many people in this area who consider an Obama bumper sticker to be good reason for road rage or vandalism. And yes, I do think some of them blame Obama for the upsurge in racism that has taken place in the U.S. OK, and about that First Amendment. I stated the facts as I understand them. I believe that a series of 20th-century U.S. court decisions moved the country toward a more rigid understanding of freedom of speech, and I think that many of those decisions were in lawsuits filed by the ACLU - most filed for very laudable reasons. And I do believe that Americans in general have a different priority for free speech, than most Europeans have. Notice that I said different, not better or worse. So, that's my understanding of the reality of the concept of freedom of speech in the U.S. and its application. Please notice that both in this message and above, I expressed only my understanding of the reality, and I did not yet express my opinion of that reality. And yet, I count at least four people who have soundly condemned me, more-or-less for being some sort of violence-promoting Nazi rightwing bigot....and I haven't yet said what my opinion actually is. Silly, aren't they? So, OK, I guess I'd better state my opinion. I don't keep an out-of-date Obama-Biden sticker on my car because I hate Obama. Of all the Presidents who have held office in my lifetime, he is the one I most admire. He is a wise, balanced, thoughtful man - and a wonderful father and husband and a good person, to boot. And all the hatred that his presidency engendered, caused me great sadness. I found myself in tears a lot during the last week of his presidency, as I watched as many of his farewell speeches as I could find. President Trump might begin to redeem himself in my eyes, if he were to appoint Barack Obama to the Supreme Court (there's that subjunctive again)... And what do I think about freedom of speech? Well, repression of speech makes me uneasy, whether it be by law or by bullying (as is done so often here at Mudcat). I didn't like it at all when certain people threatened to report Mudcat to some European authority because we "allowed" Ake's homophobic idiocy and the like. That level of control of speech just didn't seem right to me. But on the other hand, it seems wrong to me for a hate-filled group to be allowed to march across a campus and in front of a synagogue, carrying torches and guns and chanting hateful slogans. I understand the court decisions and I understand the need for freedom of speech - but when that free speech causes fear in the heart of another person, then something's not right. So, I think that's a question that hasn't been resolved yet. I don't want to see repression of speech, but I also don't want to think people have a right to cause fear in others in the name of free speech. I suppose it's nice that some of you people think you have all the answers. I don't. I still have lots of questions - and I think that many of your answers are shallow. Oh, and the other question I haven't been able to answer, is my question about violence committed by those on the Left. Now, although Jim Carroll does not consider me fit to call myself a liberal, my opinions usually seem to fall on that side. I have never voted for a Republican in my life, and I know a lot of Republicans who think I'm a horrible liberal. So, when people on the Left do something wrong, it concerns me. And I think it was wrong for that guy to go shooting Republicans at that baseball park, and for the people in black clothing and masks to commit violence against conservatives. I like to think that liberals believe in tolerance and nonviolence like I do, but maybe I have to admit that may not be so. So, anyhow, now you have my opinion. You people, go learn about subjunctives, willya? Oh, and do something to learn the difference between reality and opinion, before you choke us all with your moralizing condemnations. -Joe-
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